Saturday, August 26

Russia’s war against Ukraine

Instructors from the Norwegian Home Guard 12th District Company ‘Hegra’ participate in a blank fire exercise, together with Ukrainian soldiers, part of Operation Gungne, where the Norwegian instructors conduct initial training with NATO-standard combat methods to enhance Ukrainian military capabilities on Aug. 25, north of Trondheim, Norway. (Photo by JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP via Getty Images)

Turkish foreign minister meets with Zelensky in Kyiv. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan arrived in Kyiv on Aug. 25 to meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky. They reportedly discussed the Ukrainian peace formula, the preparation for the Global Peace Summit, and the risks posed by Russia blocking the Black Sea grain corridor.

Top US general says Ukrainian forces have broken through Russian main lines of defense in some areas. Throughout their counteroffensive, Ukrainian troops have managed to attack through Russia’s first main defensive belt in some areas along the front lines, Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley said in an interview with Al-Mamlaka TV, a Jordanian public broadcaster, published on Aug. 25.

Russian investigators recover flight recorders from Prigozhin’s crashed plane. Russia’s Investigative Committee said on Aug. 25 that it had seized flight recorders from the scene of a plane crash that reportedly killed Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin.

NGO: 11 deported Ukrainian children return home. The NGO Save Ukraine has arranged the return of 11 more Ukrainian children forcibly deported to Russia and occupied territories, the organization’s head Mykola Kuleba said on Aug. 25.

Prosecutor’s Office: Ukraine to extradite suspected Russian terrorist detained in Finland. Ukraine is preparing to extradite a leader of the Russian far-right paramilitary group Rusich, the Prosecutor General’s Office announced on Aug. 25.

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Ukraine’s defense minister promises to resign if dishonest scheme in procurement of military clothing is proven. Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said on Aug. 25 that he is ready to resign if the accusations of summer jackets procurement instead of winter ones are confirmed.

Government dismisses head of State Emergency Service. The government has dismissed Serhiy Kruk from his post as head of the State Emergency Service, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko announced on Aug. 25 on Telegram.

Lukashenko says Wagner Group will stay in Belarus. Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko denied reports of Wagner mercenaries leaving Belarus following the reported death of the group’s founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, according to the state-controlled news agency Belta.

Border Guards: Number of Wagner fighters in Belarus decreases. The number of Wagner Group mercenaries stationed in Belarus is gradually decreasing as they depart for Russia, State Border Guard Service’s spokesperson Andrii Demchenko said on Aug. 25.

Read our exclusives

Ukraine war latest: Ukrainian forces have broken through Russian main lines of defense in some areas

Throughout their counteroffensive, Ukrainian troops have managed to attack through Russia’s first main defensive belt in some areas along the front lines, Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley said in an interview with a Jordanian public broadcaster.

Photo: Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Kyiv, Moscow’s opposing attitudes toward Soviet past shape two different futures

The decision to remove the Soviet statue’s symbols is a watershed moment in Kyiv’s years-long de-communization program: a movement that has seen Ukraine purposely distance itself from old Soviet ties to reclaim and reassert its independent culture, identity, and future.

Photo: Kyodo News via Getty Images

Opinions and Insights

Sławomir Sierakowski: The strongest army in Europe?

“There is a growing belief that Poland will soon have Europe’s strongest army. Poland’s ruling party, Law and Justice, has not missed any opportunity to drum this message home, and one increasingly hears it being echoed abroad, too. But is it true?” Sławomir Sierakowski, a senior fellow at the German Council on Foreign Relations, writes in his latest op-ed.

Photo: Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Human cost of war

Russian attacks kill 1, injure 10 over past day. Russian forces launched attacks against 10 oblasts over the past day, killing at least one civilian and injuring at least 10 more, including a child, local officials reported early on Aug. 25.

Media: Ukraine strikes Russian positions in Crimea, dozens of casualties reported. The Ukrainian military, together with the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), launched a drone strike against the 126th Brigade of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. There were dozens of casualties, Ukrainska Pravda news outlet reported, citing their source at the SBU.

Governor: Russian forces hit Nikopol, killing civilian. Russian troops struck Nikopol in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast on Aug. 25, killing a 59-year-old man, Governor Serhii Lysak reported.

Governor: Russian shelling of Kharkiv Oblast damages residential areas, injures 1. Russian forces shelled the village of Podoly in the Kupiansk district of Kharkiv Oblast at around 6:30 a.m. local time, injuring and hospitalizing a 59-year-old civilian man, Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported on Aug. 25.

This Week in Ukraine Ep. 22 – F-16s and the irrational politics of military aid

International response

Media: Dutch Defense Minister says transfer of F-16 jets to Ukraine could take up to 8 months. The delivery of F-16s to Ukraine could take anywhere from six to eight months due to prerequisites that need to be met before the jets make their way to Ukraine, Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren told European Pravda in an interview.

Polish minister warns of unilateral restrictions if EU doesn’t extend ban on Ukrainian grain. Slovakia, Bulgaria, Poland, Romania, and Hungary support the extension of the EU ban on Ukrainian grain imports until the end of 2023, Polish Agriculture Minister Robert Telus said on Aug. 25, as cited by Reuters.

Finland announces military aid for Ukraine worth $101.5 million. For operational reasons and to ensure that the aid will safely arrive at its destination, specific details on the package’s contents and on the manner of its delivery are not disclosed, the Finnish government said.

Media: Greece will not prolong air defense contracts with Russia, may send systems to Ukraine. Greece will not sign new contracts with Moscow on maintaining Russian-made air defense systems in the Greek military’s arsenal and may instead send them to Ukraine via third-party countries, the Greek news outlet Pronews.gr reported on Aug. 24, citing a leaked official document.

Slovenia joins G7 declaration on Ukraine’s security guarantees. Slovenia has joined the Group of Seven’s (G7) declaration on security guarantees for Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced in a Twitter post on Aug. 25.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Lili Bivings, Martin Fornusek, Oleg Sukhov, Dinara Khalilova, Brad LaFoy, Olena Goncharova, Uliana Horoshko and Abbey Fenbert.

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